When to Clean and When to Replace Your Carpet

Carpet can last as long as you want it to, and it can easily outlast its owner depending on use and care. However, most of us have carpet because we want to walk on it and live on it, not just look at it. At some point, we have to consider replacing carpet. These reasons may include events such as buying or selling a home, water damage, discoloration or wear of carpet from long term use, and permanent damage from stains or pets, just to name a few. Not all of these situations require replacement. Below are some situations where cleaning versus replacement should be considered:

• Pet Stains: Discoloration from pet stains is very difficult to correct. Some treatments designed to fully remove the urine and odor can also remove the color from the carpet. Milder treatments may leave the color intact, but do not always remove all odor and contamination. For homeowners who plan to keep their pets, regular cleaning is a good choice to keep the urine contamination in the carpet and pad to a minimum. For home buyers and sellers, replacement is the best option.
• Allergies: Clean away! Carpet is actually a great product for trapping allergens in the home and keeping them at floor level. Hard surfaces such as tile and wood actually increase the allergens distributed in the air we breathe. The only caveat is that carpet must be cleaned at least annually to remove the trapped allergens from the carpet fibers.
• Water Damage: Most in-home flooding is from clean water sources. Affected carpet can be easily cleaned in these situations and re-stretched to account for any minor variations. Water damage from unsanitary sources such as sewer lines and septic tanks ALWAYS requires carpet replacement.
• Crushing, Wear, and Discoloration: All carpet will wear differently, and most carpet will maintain its original look and feel if cleaned regularly. During long periods of use without cleaning, any carpet will begin to show signs of use. Traffic areas will crush and lose pile height, edges along walls will develop filter soiling caused by pressure changes in the HVAC unit, and transition areas from entrances and kitchens will show discoloration from soil. Cleaning can sometimes remedy these situations, but it’s best for us to take a look and give advice from there.
• Age: If carpet is more than 12-15 years old, and hasn’t been professionally cleaned at regular intervals, it most likely will need replacing. Conditions such as filter soiling, crushing, and traffic patterns will have taken their toll on the carpet, and a single cleaning will not undo decades of wear. Carpet should be professionally cleaned at intervals of 6 months up to 2 years to ensure longevity and cleanliness. Under this type of maintenance schedule, carpet can easily last 20 years or more.

 

Threadbare patches or matting

Carpets bear the brunt of a lot of wear and tear over the years, especially in busy family households and rental properties where tenants are less likely to treat and maintain your carpet with the same care as you would yourself.Over the years this wear and tear can take its toll and lead to thinning and threadbare patches, especially in high traffic areas such as hallways, staircases and living areas.Matting can also be a problem with time and is unfortunately not something that can usually be restored. Matting of carpet fibres tends to affect polyester carpets more, because while they can feel soft underfoot, they tend to have a weak resistance to matting.Once your carpet starts to become threadbare and worn, it means it has definitely seen better days – time to invest in new carpet!As with staining and odours, making the right carpet choice for your needs from the outset is your best defense against premature wear and replacement.

 

Mold

Biological substances can lead to a buildup of bacteria under your carpet. If that’s the case, consider replacing your carpet. Similarly, flooding or water damage can result in mold under your carpet. This is common in basements where the environment is damper than normal. Take a proactive approach and deal with the mold before it becomes worse. For instance, you can purchase a mold test kit to check the levels of mold in your carpet before making your decision.

 

Odor

If there’s a foul smell coming from your carpet that no amount of deep cleaning or air freshener can mask, it might be time to replace it. Chances are the smell has permeated through the carpet and into the padding, or mold has gotten into the carpet and padding.

 

Matting

One of the first signs that your carpet is in need of replacement is when the pile begins to stay matted down in the most frequently trafficked areas. This is especially true for carpets that are made of polyester fibers; once the pile begins to lay down due to heavy foot traffic, there’s not a whole lot you can do to get it to stand up again. Even getting your carpet professionally cleaned may not do a whole lot to renew its look.

THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE SWITCHING YOUR CARPET FOR HARDWOOD

In many homes, hardwood has replaced carpet as the primary flooring type, especially in rooms like living rooms and kitchens. New homebuilders are aware of the trend and have shifted their design choices accordingly. However, many older homes still have carpeting throughout, leaving homeowners with a dilemma. Should they remove the carpet and replace it with hardwood or leave it as it is?

Hardwood flooring has several benefits over carpeting, but there are some disadvantages, as well. Before making the decision to replace carpeting throughout your house, there are three questions you should ask yourself.

Will You Be Selling Soon?

Today’s home shoppers are likely viewing a large number of homes with beautiful hardwood floors throughout. This has upped the game for sellers of older homes, who are now required to compete with brand new homes in the same price range. While hardwood flooring is the top request of homebuyers, this may not translate to every room. Some consumers have stated a preference for carpeting in bedrooms, which allows them to step onto a soft surface when they get out of bed in the morning. Hardwoods in areas like kitchens and bathrooms can also turn some buyers away, since these areas are prone to spills and moisture. For that reason, some homeowners choose instead to install tile or laminate flooring in these rooms.

Do You Have Allergies?

Carpet has gotten a bad rap for its supposed contribution to allergies and asthma. However, a 15-year study in Sweden determined no correlation between the two. In fact, the study pointed out that when carpet use declined in the country, allergies increased by 30 percent. Some postulate that carpet acts as a filter, trapping allergens that might have otherwise been floating freely in the air. If carpet is cleaned regularly, it may be a better option for families that are concerned about air quality. When handled by a qualified professional, even the most deeply-embedded particles can be removed, keeping the home free of allergens.

Are You Prepared for Maintenance?

Whether you find hardwood maintenance easier than carpet depends largely on your preference for sweeping versus vacuuming. Carpets should be cleaned at least once every one to two years—more frequently if your household has pets. Hardwood flooring removes the need for this type of cleaning, but don’t assume wood-based flooring doesn’t have its own maintenance requirements. At least once a year, homeowners should use a wood-cleaning product to deep clean floors and remove any dirt and grime that builds up. Many experts recommend also using area rugs throughout the home to reduce dirt and protect wood from furniture marks. Just like carpet, these area rugs will need to be vacuumed and deep cleaned on a regular basis to remove embedded dirt.

 

WHAT IS THE BEST TYPE OF FLOORING FOR HIGH TRAFFIC AREAS?

When choosing flooring for your home, one of the first things you should consider is the amount of activity the room sees. Is it the main thoroughfare through your house, connecting the entrance to your living spaces or bedrooms? Is it a space where family and friends like to congregate, like the kitchen or lounge?

These types of spaces that see a lot of foot traffic need the right flooring to be able to handle the additional wear and tear. Here we look at the best flooring for high traffic, as well as pros and cons of various flooring materials.

CARPET

Carpet brings comfort and warmth to your home, and is often a more cost effective option. However, it tends to be more susceptible to wear and tear over the years, with the fibres pilling or bald patches appearing.

FINDING THE BEST CARPET FOR HIGH TRAFFIC AREAS

If your heart is set on using carpet, however, there are some types of carpet that are more suited to high-traffic areas. Nylon carpet for example is incredibly durable, making it a good choice for hallways and stairs.

TIMBER FLOORING

The dense nature of timber flooring means that it can take a lot of wear and tear, while still maintaining its classic, stylish finish. However, timber floors also require care to keep them looking their best. If you notice the flooring losing its glossy shine in high-traffic areas, you may need to buff or recoat the floor to support its durability and moisture-resistance.

 

Guide to Acoustic Flooring

Sound treatment is a key design consideration for almost every building, regardless of industry, in order to reduce noise disturbance and enhance sound quality. Selecting acoustic flooring materials is crucial to effective sound treatment.

When noise is made within your building, it will either be absorbed, reflected or transmitted by your wall, ceiling and flooring. The goal of sound treatment is twofold: (1) prevent transmission of sound from room to room and floor to floor, and (2) reduce background noise to enhance the quality of speech or music within rooms. Installing acoustic flooring is an effective and efficient way of accomplishing the former goal.

While acoustic ceiling and wall treatments protect against transmission of sound from room to room, acoustic flooring is effective at preventing the transmission of sound from an upper floor to a lower floor. Together with ceiling and wall coverings, your acoustic flooring system will help create the best acoustic environment for your building’s application.

Impact Sound

Whether from foot traffic, carts or vibrating machinery, floors bear the brunt of impact within your building. The sound energy generated by this impact can be transmitted through the structure of your building, distorting noise and disturbing workers, guests or residents. Acoustic flooring is designed to insulate impact noise, preventing its transmission from your flooring into the rooms below.

Airborne Sound

Airborne sound typically stems from people, speakers and instruments. Like impact sound, airborne sound can transmit through your flooring into other parts of your building.

 

Layer on! ways to make rug on carpet look good

This is a question that comes up fairly often. To some, area rugs on top of wall-to-wall carpeting is taboo, to others, it’s a way to bring some personality and colour to the space. For us, the answer is YES there are ways to do this! Rugs usually pull a room together, so how can you go without one. Of course, they look fantastic on wood, concrete, and tile floors, but what about rug carpet? It’s entirely understandable that replacing a fitted carpet with hardwood flooring doesn’t come cheap, in saying that the right rug can actually look picture-perfect on top of carpeted floors.  It can be a good idea in some cases, like if you are stuck with a fitted carpet, or maybe unsightly damage or stains that are beyond a steam clean to cover it up with something much nicer.

Why you should try rug on carpet

Wall-to-wall carpeting shouldn’t be a deterrent for buying area rugs. The reason why rugs are so important is that they offer another layer of dimension and texture. The rugs purpose is to achieve a certain style and tone as well as merging the space together, completing the overall aesthetic of a room.

Play with size

If you want to partition your space, use smaller rugs that complement each other. On the other hand, if you really dislike your carpet situation and you’re looking to cover as much of your wall-to-wall carpet as possible, there’s a solution: Go large and get an area rug that covers the entire floor, making sure the rug isn’t too overwhelming in print or colour since it’ll be covering a lot of space.

Contrasting colours & textures

Bring life to the floor! While most carpet is plain these days; a neutral colour with no interesting variation, opt for something with a different texture/fiber/definition in order for the rug on carpet to distinguish itself as a new and important element in the room. Whether you want to add traditional aspects to your interior or create a bohemian oasis, a rug will highlight your furniture and draw eyes to where you want them to be looking.

Cosy Layers

The goal here is to create contrast and dimension. If you’re looking for extra layers of softness, a plush textile can really cosy things up. The extra soft floor is perfect for a bedroom or children’s nursery for playtime. A rug with good weight is key to combat snagging (carpet creep) – which will be more likely to happen with lighter rugs on carpet. Make sure to avoid having the pile too high on the top layer (think Moroccan shag) not a mountain that you can trip on.

 

Learn About Carpet

Carpet continues to be one of the top choices in flooring for homeowners because of its unmatched style and comfortable qualities. Carpeting not only looks good in your home, but also comes with several different benefits such as being simple to maintain and comes in allergy friendly options.There are several carpet characteristics that play a role like the base material, pile styles, and even the carpet cushion underneath.

Carpet is built to withstand everyday life, and comes in options that are stain, wear and fade proof so you can live your life worry free on your floors. It does not matter if you have pets or toddlers running around your home

Where Can You Install Carpet?

Carpet flooring is well suited for homes with little to no traffic, or homes with children and pets roaming freely.We can help you find a carpet that suits your home and lifestyle. Carpets are more durable than you think and can handle places around your home with heavy traffic like hallways, stairs, and even living rooms. Transform rooms you like to relax in into cozy and inviting spaces as your own personal retreat.Places you should avoid installing carpet in include bathrooms and kitchens.

Types of Carpet

Choosing a carpet color is just part of choosing the typeof carpet you want in your home. Carpet pile plays a role in how a carpet will function in your home, and feature different characteristics. What are these different characteristics? Cut pile has fibers that are cut at the ends making the carpet denser. Loop pile is the opposite, where no fibers are left at the surface and are in a series of loops, giving the carpet an even look. Multi-level loop staggers the height of the loop fibers to create an uneven surface. Cut and loop piles also provide an uneven look but also give texture to the carpet and hide dirt.

The type of fiber the carpet is made out of also impacts how the carpet will look and feel.It also determines the stain and matting resistance as well as long term durability. Nylon fibers are the most durable, but polyester has a more soft and plush feel.Sisal and wool are two natural carpet fiber options.Wool fibers are sought after by homeowners not just because they are natural but because they also feature many different benefits like being hypoallergenic.

What Information You Need To Know About Laminate Flooring

WHAT IS: LAMINATE FLOORING

With the look and texture of wood or stone, laminate flooring is a tough and durable man-made product that is easy to clean, pet-proof and easy to install. Laminate makes a great choice for anyone looking for a floor they can fit and forget, even in the busiest parts of the home. With different thickness, widths and lengths, laminate is great for homes that want the look of wood or tile, but with a floor that delivers great value. Packed to the brim with easy living advantages, modern generation laminates are ideal for homes that want a good looking floor on a budget.

Where to use Laminate Flooring

Hard wearing, laminate flooring can be used in most areas of the home including dining and living rooms, hallways, kitchens and bedrooms. However, it is important to remember that it’s still a natural product, so we do not recommend laminate flooring in bathrooms or any other high moisture environment.

If your home has underfloor heating, then laminate is also completely safe for use as it is stable enough to withstand direct heat. However, when turning on the underfloor heating for the first time, or after a prolonged period of being turned off, increase the temperature gradually over a period of days so that the floor can acclimatise to the change.

3 Things To Consider When Choosing Laminate Flooring

Now that you’ve gone through a crash course on the types of laminate flooring that are available in the market, let’s fine-tune the selection process.

Here are 3 things that you should consider when choosing the type of laminate flooring for your home or office:

1. Foot Traffic

The volume of foot traffic will determine the level of wear and tear that your laminate flooring will go through. High foot traffic areas will result in more nicks and damage to your flooring. In the home, high foot traffic areas include the living room, the kitchen, and the dining room.

For high foot traffic areas, light coloured laminate flooring planks would be a better option because they can hide scratches, dust, and dirt better than dark coloured laminate flooring planks.

You won’t have to clean and maintain them as much as dark coloured laminate flooring planks where even footprints are visible. Another good option for high foot traffic areas is Embossed Laminate Flooring. Its grainy texture that is similar to wood will hide scratches really well. The same can be said for laminate flooring with stone design printed on it.

2. Location

If the room is located in an area where there is an abundance of natural light coming inside, darker coloured laminate flooring can help subdue the level of brightness. On the other hand, if the room does not get enough natural light coming in, opt for lighter or brighter coloured laminate flooring.

In areas where you normally receive guests such as the living room, dining room, and kitchen, using laminate flooring with wider planks will give the space the impression of greater size. For the kitchen, a good choice would be laminate flooring with an underlay as it has been proven to be highly-resistant to mould.

3. Cost

Even though laminate flooring is one of the more inexpensive flooring materials you can choose for your home and office, you should still be mindful of its cost. It has been designed to be a no-frills option for your home or office renovation. As you have read, there are types of laminate flooring planks that do not need glue for installation.

Still, flooring is just one component in a home building or home renovation project. Choose laminate flooring tiles that fit your budget. You want to make sure your funds can cover the other refurbishing needs of your home or office.

What kind of wear and tear will my floor be exposed to?

Laminates sure are tough and durable—but you need to pick the right laminate for the job. If you’re laying a floor in an office exposed to lots of foot traffic, office chairs on castors and high heel shoes, you’ll need to pick a laminate with a higher AC (Abrasion Class) rating. Matching the AC rating to your needs is easy.

AC1 Moderate Residential. Built to withstand only light residential use. Suitable for closets or bedrooms.

AC2 General Residential. Built for moderate foot traffic. Suitable in residential spaces that don’t see a tremendous amount of wear and tear like dining rooms or living rooms.

AC3 Heavy Residential/Moderate Commercial. Built for all kinds of residential use including high–traffic rooms and even commercial spaces that have light traffic like offices without off-street traffic and hotel rooms.

AC4 General Commercial. Built to withstand every kind of residential use as well as more heavily trafficked commercial spaces that have off-street traffic like offices, cafes, and boutiques.

AC5 Heavy Commercial. Built for the busiest commercial uses and high–traffic spaces like department stores and government buildings.

Maintenance

Laminate floors do not exist in a vacuum, although a vacuum can be a great way to clean a floor. The main thing to remember is that the material you choose will have to be cared for overtime. Some of the cleaning procedures for different products can be involved, rigorous, and require the purchase of a number of specialty items. Luckily laminate has a protective-wear layer which actually keeps most of the dirt and debris off of its surface, making it easy to sanitize whenever you think it is proper.

Cleaning laminate floors should generally only require you to sweep, vacuum, or dry mop regularly. For more intensive cleaning regimens a very mild soap and water solution can be used to gently scrub or mop specific areas. However, you mustn’t allow water to form in puddles, or stand on the surface of the floor for prolonged periods of time, as it can cause damage in insidious ways.

Laminate floors are a great, low-cost, low-maintenance option for a variety of spaces. However, they do wear over time, and they are susceptible to water damage, so be sure that you only install them in locations designed for them.

What You Need to Know Before Installing Laminate Flooring

To make the job go smoothly and quickly, here’s what else you need to know to gear up for installing laminate flooring.

Get the room ready by removing the base shoe and baseboards. Makes sure the floor is clean and level — installing over an non-level floor can lead to soft, spongy areas and may contribute to seams opening up. Tolerances are usually 1/4 to 3/8 inch measured over 10 horizontal feet. High spots on wood floors can be sanded down. Alternately, you can “fill” low spots with pieces of 30-lb. felt. Low spots on concrete slabs should be filled with leveling compound.

Measure the room to determine the total square footage of flooring you’ll need, then add 5 percent for waste and mistakes. Remember you’ll want to leave a gap of about 3/8 inch around the perimeter of the room to allow for the flooring to expand and contract with changes in humidity. That gap will be covered up when you reinstall the baseboards and base shoe.

Acclimate the flooring by bringing all the packages of flooring into the room. Open the packages and distribute the loose planks around the room in short piles. This helps the flooring stabilize to the ambient humidity in your room, a process that takes about 48 hours. Use the opportunity to inspect any planks for damage.

Prep door frame so that the flooring will slide underneath the trim and jamb (it’s much easier than trying to cut an irregular shape to fit the molding). Use a piece of flooring and underlayment as a guide, and mark the door trim and jamb for trimming. Cut the pieces using a jamb saw — a specialty handsaw with an offset handle that makes it easy to cut near the floor. You can rest the saw blade on top of a piece of flooring to make sure you have a straight, even cut that’s the correct height.

Things You Need to Know About Epoxy Floor Coatings

What is Epoxy?

Epoxy is an adhesive, paint, plastic, or other material that is created as a polymer of epoxides. The term “epoxy” is used to describe coatings that are created from two components, meaning, a combination mix of two different chemicals, referred to as “resin.” This classifies epoxy as a copolymer. Chemically, resin is composed of short chain polymers, which at their end contain an epoxide group.

There are many benefits that come with using an epoxy floor coating, compared to using other types of resins for flooring. Most importantly, epoxy is known to be the highest strength resin in the industry. They offer the strongest bond between the resin and reinforcement and allow for the construction of the lightest part and most durable modules.

Epoxy is typically chosen for its excellent mechanical properties and its dimensional stability. When properly cured, epoxy flooring offers good chemical and heat resistance, and extremely low shrinkage. Epoxy resins are an excellent option for repairs, since they bond to dissimilar materials and previously cured materials. Most epoxy resins can be post-cured with heat to improve their strength, service temperature and dimensional stability. Parts should be cured at a temperature that matches or exceeds their maximum service temperature; otherwise the epoxy might warp or distort. The bonding of epoxy paint offers a strength that cannot be matched by other common materials, such as vinylester or polyester.

Damage resistant

The epoxy flooring is resistant to wear, cracking, peeling, and corrosion. It can resist damage from chemical like acids and other environmental degradation.

Cured epoxy is able to resist moisture. Epoxy on its own may not be UV resistant. However, adding epoxy coating will help floor last longer and make it even scratch resistant due to composition of the ingredients.

Urethane and a other variety of top coatings can make epoxy flooring more abrasive and scratch resistant. Long term curing, may even make it gasoline . Heated healed or cured floor will also make the epoxy floor more heat resistant.

Epoxy’s Strength Comes from Its Chemical Bond

An epoxy coating is made up of two parts—a polyepoxide resin and a curative. They are mixed immediately before they are applied to your floor, and the resulting reaction causes them to chemically bond to one another and to the floor itself.

This makes for a coating that is stronger than the sum of its parts. Epoxy is extremely durable and won’t peel or chip away from the flooring surface—that is, as long as it was cleaned and prepared properly beforehand.

Surface Prep Is the Most Important Part

You can read all about the surface prep process on our in-depth page, but suffice it to say that lazy or improper surface preparation means your epoxy floor could fail almost instantly.

One of the worst culprits is moisture. High humidity or vapor permeating the concrete flooring can prevent the adhesive bonds from forming while severely slowing the curing process. This is why it’s vital to get a professional moisture test done first, and have any problems dealt with before applying an epoxy.

Epoxy Primer Formulas

Depending on the product being applied, you might need to apply an epoxy primer and finisher coat. The primer is applied just like paint and is allowed to settle for several hours before the epoxy goes on. To apply the primer, cover the floor with a thin layer of water, then spread the primer with a roller pin on a pole, spreading it out in a thin layer over the entire floor. Let the primer dry, then apply a second coat. The finisher is applied in the same manner as the primer but without the water layer.

Battle of the Floor Surfaces: Which One is the Strongest?

If you’ve ever purchased a new floor for your home, you’ll always hear the salesperson talk about the strength of the floor surface. That’s because some materials are much stronger than others. Take carpet, for example. This surface withstands footfall in a bedroom or lounge, but it won’t be suitable for your garage floor. It’s just not strong enough.

Then there’s hardwood. Again, these floors make brilliant additions to other rooms in your home, but they just don’t cut it when it comes to your garage. Hardwood can break down over time and lose its strength. This is a big no-no if you want a garage floor that will last you for years and years to come.

Epoxy floor coating, on the other hand, is strong enough. You can often find this surface in industrial environments — big car plants and retail warehouses where hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people work.

Epoxy flooring may not be something that you’ve heard of before but in its simplest definition, it is a flooring surface that is made up of multiple layers of epoxy that is applied to the floor to a depth of at least two millimeters